78 STATE BOARD UF AGRICULTURE. 



PROSPECTS FOR THE COMING YEAR. 



Plans are already under way for the institutes to be held in 1905-06 and, 

 from the correspondence with the officers of the local societies, it is evident 

 that the interest in farmers' institutes is on the increase. This is shown 

 particularly in the calls for one-day institutes. The appropriation last year, 

 .§7,500.00, made it impossible even then to hold all of the institutes that 

 were asked for. At the present time, requests have been received for at 

 least fifty per cent more meetings than were held in 1904-05, and numy 

 counties would have asked for a larger number had the}' not already reached 

 the limit set in previous years. The increase in the number of requests 

 comes not onl}' from the counties that have held one-day institutes in pre- 

 vious years but a dozen or more counties that have never held one-day 

 institutes are asking for from two to six each. As the holding of an in- 

 creased number of institutes in each of the counties will merely add to the 

 cost for the per diem of the speakers with little or no increase for travehng 

 or board bills, it being the rule that the speakers at one-day institutes shall 

 be entertained while within the county, it will be possible to hold fifty per 

 cent more one-day institutes than last year without adding more than 

 twenty-five per cent to the expense. In view of the increased interest and 

 calls for one-day institutes, I would suggest that provision should be made 

 to hold not less than three hundred such meetings during the coming year. 



L. R. TAFT, 

 Superintendent of Farmers' Institutes. 

 Agricultural College, Michigan, June 30, 1905. 



REPORT OF MICHIGAN WEATHER SERVICE FOR THE YEAR 



ENDING JUNE 30, 1905. 



The work of the Michigan Weather Service during the past fiscal year 

 has been carried forward on lines similar to those of preceding years. 



Mr. C. F. Schneider, Section Director, U. S. Weather Bureau, has con- 

 tinued in charge and the location of the headquarters of the Service has 

 remained at Grand Rapids. 



The Service has in operation a total number of 121 voluntary observers' 

 stations. In addition there are eight regular Weather Bureau Stations in 

 the state, which makes a total of 129 places at which meteorological records 

 are made. As a whole, the reports of the voluntary observers have been 

 very satisfactory, but in spite of our utmost efforts the personnel is con- 

 stantly changing. It should be remembered that the observations are taken 

 entirely without remuneration. During the past year great efforts have 

 been made to overcome this defect by enlisting the cooperation of the mu- 

 nicipal authorities and having them in turn make it a part of the duties 

 of some municipal employee to take the necessary daily observations, which 

 requires not more than ten minutes at the most to make and record. Our 

 policy has been not to disturb any voluntary observer who is doing good 

 work. A large number of stations in the southern j^art of the state have 

 been re-established during the past year at Water Works Pumping Plants 

 through the cooperation of the municipal authorities. We find this an 



